Slipping Through Time
by CarmineHearts
Summary: She was gone, lost to the Void. At least, physically. Scattered across time are the pieces that remained. But with the memories of her almost completely lost, can the Doctor find her again? Maybe. But he won't be able to do it alone. Also includes 11th and 12th Doctors, but wasn't allowed to put more than 4 characters. But trust me, they will be important.
1. Prologue

Hey all! This is my very first Doctor Who fanfic. I've had this brewing in my brain for a few weeks now. Um, hope you guys like it, since I'm still a little new to the fandom.

I don't own Doctor Who. Just this story.

 **Prologue**

He saw her, desparately clinging on to the control switch, hoping against hope she wouldn't get sucked into the void. He would vaguely recall later how he had screamed for her to hang on, desparation and fear evident in his face. But in that moment, he saw as her fingers struggled, her grip weakening, before slipping. Everything seemed to go in slow motion after that. Rose screaming as she flew backwards into the vacuum, her arms reaching to him in vain. His cries hung in the air. He saw her face drifting further and further away, a look of sadness in her eyes before she closed them. Her lips moved, as if trying to talk. She opened her eyes again and gave a shadow of a smile...before the rift closed.

Time seemed to flow back to normal as the Doctor stared at the area that had once been the void, now a regular wall. He staggered over to it, pressed against it, hoping to feel some small trace of her. He knew there wasn't. After what seemed like hours, he finally made his way back to the TARDIS, lifelessly shuffling his feet along until he found his room somehow, and collapsed on the bed. He didn't know that, at that very moment, there was a light humming sound in the room where the Void had been. He didn't know that gold particles were starting to trickle from the walls, nor that they were floating in the air. He didn't know how they were now glowing, the color of sunshine. He couldn't have known.

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

 _"My Wolf...my dear Wolf...What has become of you? Are you forever gone?"_

 ** _No...not completely. I can no longer take physical form. But I am here._**

 _"The Void swallowed you. The Doctor...his thoughts...please, you must go to him!"_

 ** _He won't be able to see me. Not like this. When I was lost to the Void, my physical form was returned to nothingness._**

 _"My Wolf...will we never see you again?"_

 ** _Not for a long time. But if all goes as intended, we will meet again. But...you must help him._**

 _"What must I do, dear one?"_

 ** _My physical body is gone. But my entire being still exists. My heart, my mind, my soul, my spirit...it still exists. I will send it all across time and space, past and the future. Find them, these pieces. Find them, and gather them. Bring them together. Only then, will Rose Tyler walk this Earth again._**

 _"Where must we look, dear Wolf?"_

 ** _There are things even I'm unsure of. These pieces have been scattered, and they will settle when they have stopped. I will only say this. Do not give up. Do not let him give up, nor despair. I promise you, we will meet again._**

 _"My Wolf...I swear, we will find you."_

 ** _I know you will. And I look forward to it. I must go now. I'll be seeing you._**

* * *

In his sleep, the Doctor dreamed of her. They dreamed of her, walking away slowly, waving goodbye with a smile, before fading to black.


	2. Disturbance at the End of the World

**Hey, guys! Back with a new chapter! This takes place during the End of the World episode in season one, so a lot of the quotes are included in this chapter. It does deviate, for obvious reasons, but it's pretty much like that episode.**

 **I don't own Doctor Who.**

 **Chapter 1: Disturbance at the End of the World**

The Doctor opened his eyes with a start as he felt a jolt from his TARDIS. Face slightly numb from where he'd been resting it, he pried himself from the console and straightened up. How had he gotten in that position? One minute he was poring over the screen deciding his next destination, and the next minute, he was slumped over, having (apparently) fallen asleep. He didn't remember when the last time something like that had happened. Hell, he didn't remember that happening ever, period. And on top of that, there had been a strange echo in his mind, like someone was calling to him. Was it an echo? No, it was more like an image. Of...someone. But then there was no more.

He shook his head as if to clear it. A nonsensical dream wasn't the issue here. The problem was he hadn't input any coordinates yet; he had still been drifting about earlier. So why had the TARDIS landed here? Where _was_ here, anyway? Shrugging nonchalantly to himself, the Doctor strode over to the door. _Might as well have a look_ , he thought, opening it. A lobby of some sort greeted his somewhat-cold stare. A small set of stairs led to a rather large window. Descending said stairs to the large window, he saw a barren planet just below. ... _Wait a minute..._ Was that the sun over there? There was a flare, and then realization struck. This is the day the sun expands. _Still doesn't explain why she brought me to 5.5/Apple/26,_ he thought, giving the lobby another once-over, before he headed down a corridor. An automated woman's voice sounded out through the PA system.

" **Shuttles 5 and 6 now docking. Guests are reminded that Platform 1 forbids the use of weapons, teleportation, and religion. Earth death is scheduled for 15:39, followed by drinks in the Manchester Suite."**

The corridor opened up to a room far bigger than the lobby. It was lined with slate grey columns and display cases. Above, taking up most of the ceiling and running all the way down the front, was the viewing window. The Earth burned brighter now that he was closer. In fact, he could _almost_ feel the raging heat if he stood close enough...

"Who the hell are you?!"

The Doctor turned toward the source of the angry sounding voice. A pompous-looking blue humanoid, dressed in bronze, made his way over.

"Oh, that's nice. Thanks," said the Doctor, mildly amused.

This only seemed to annoy the Steward further.

"But how did you get in here? This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked! They're on their way any second-"

"No! That's me, I'm a guest. Look, I've got an invitation," the Doctor interrupted, pulling out his handy psychic paper. "Look there, y'see? It's fine, y'see? The Doctor. Is that alright?"

The Steward studied the "invitation" for a moment with suspicion in his eyes before looking back at him.

"Well, obviously. Apologies, et cetera. If you're on board, we'd better start. Enjoy," he said, and walked away to a podium near the entrance.

The Doctor smirked. Oh, the amount of times he had fooled people with that slip of paper. Why, there was that one time...No, this was not the time to reminisce. His face became solemn as he heard the Steward introduce him to the mostly empty room.

"We have in attendance The Doctor. Thank you! All staff to their positions."

The Steward clapped three times and suddenly, a troop of small, black-clad blue-skinned figures came marching in and began to line themselves around the room, chattering in high-pitched voices.

"Hurry now! Thank you! Quick as we can, come along, come along!" ordered the Steward. "And now, might I introduce the next honored guest. Representing the Forest of Cheem, we have Trees. Namely Jabe, Lute, and Coffa. There will be an exchange of gifts, representing peace. If you could keep the room circulating, thank you..."

The Doctor found himself tuning out the introductions, coming back to reality only to accept the gifts of peace (the cutting from Jabe's grandfather was rather nice, the bodily salivas he could've done without, and what the hell was he supposed to do with a metal sphere?), and give his own "gift" in return. Which just consisted of him breathing heavily on the guests. Really, why was he here? And more to the point... _What in the name of Rassilon made her decide to land here, of all places,_ he wondered again. He knew that she would go to a location if she picked up a distress signal, but this was just a _bloody planet roasting!_ These guests circled about, fraternizing with one another; if anything, they were far from being distressed. He scowled. Definitely not his type of place. As he quietly made his way toward another set of doors, hoping to slip out quietly, he caught the next introduction.

"...The Silver Devastation, the sponsor of the main event, please welcome The Face of Boe."

The Doctor stared at the giant head in a tank that was now entering the room (well, being gently pushed was more like it). Its great eyes blinked, surveying the room and the guests, before they rested on him. Those eyes were incredibly old, and seemed if they had seen everything throughout time and space. _Like me,_ he thought. The Face of Boe stared at him intently, and after a few increasingly uncomfortable moments on the Doctor's end, he closed his eyes.

 _More than you think, Doctor..._

The Doctor looked around, alarmed. None of the guests seemed to be paying him any mind. So who...?

"...And last, but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and gentleman and trees and multi-forms, consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the last human. The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen," announced the Steward.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes a little as The Last Human made her way into the room. At least, he thought it was a "her," if you could call a great big piece of skin with a face stretched out in a frame a "her" in the first place.

"Oh now, don't stare. I know, I know. It's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference! Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty! I don't look a day over 2000. Moisturize me, moisturize me!"

The Doctor grinned widely, hiding the revulsion that was quickly growing inside him. He'd seen humans before, and Cassandra DEFINITELY was not human. And though he knew that some Earth females had an obsession with being thin, this was ridiculous. Not bothering to listen as Cassandra presented her gifts, he let his mind wander (fifty-foot wingspans and fire from nostrils were most definitely not ostrich. Although, that was a rather catchy tune). Exasperated, he began making his way toward one of the doors. As he was about to leave, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye on the left side of the room. Before he even had the chance to investigate, he felt something brush past him. A strangely warm something. From the corner of his eye again, this time on the right side of the room, he thought he saw another movement.

 _Doctor...so we finally get to meet..._

The Doctor slowly turned toward the Face of Boe, who was looking back at him. He approached the giant head in a tank and knelt down to eye level.

"You speak like you know me," he began.

Boe peered at him through heavily-lidded eyes.

 _I know many things. I have seen much in my lifetime._

"I don't doubt it. They say you've lived for thousands and thousands of years, that you've witnessed everything that has ever happened," said the Doctor.

 _Perhaps I have. Who really knows?_

The Doctor gave a wry smile. He never had much patience for vagueness. He opened his mouth to excuse himself when Boe spoke again.

 _So lost after the Time War. So angry. So bitter._ "But not for much longer."

Boe spoke the last words out loud, and the Doctor widened his eyes.

 _Danger is coming. And when it does..._

But the Doctor never heard Boe finish, because the room started shaking right then. The Steward's voice rang out over the PA.

"Honored guests may be reassured that gravity pockets may cause slight turbulence. Thanking you."

The Doctor shook his head slowly. This was not supposed to happen. He'd experienced them enough to know what they felt like. And whatever that was, it was certainly no gravity pocket. So what exactly was it? He began to pace around the room, arms crossing. Strange...no one seemed to notice anything was off. They just seemed to be standing there, talking. But as he looked closer, he noticed they were all just standing. No one was moving. There was no sound at all. Even the air was silent.

There was another movement out of the corner of his eye again, and this time, he saw something white disappear around the corner. Immediately, he made to go follow it. And then suddenly, everything returned to normal. But he knew at once that something was still off.

"The metal machine confirms, the spider devices have infiltrated the whole of Platform One," Jabe was saying.

"How's that possible? Our private rooms are protected by a code wall. Moisturize me, moisturise me!" said Cassandra.

"Summon the Steward!" said the Moxx of Balhoon.

The Steward! The Doctor bolted down one of the other doorways and down a corridor. A band of the black-clad attendants were grouped around a figure. Approaching them, he saw that it was the unconscious form of the Steward. His body and clothes were singed and slightly smoking, but otherwise, he looked unharmed. The Doctor addressed the attendants.

"Alright, you lot! Get the Steward to someplace safe. Quickly, before something else happens again."

As soon as they were out of sight, carrying the Steward away, the Doctor knelt down by the door which he assumed the Steward had come out from, and examined the twitching "body" of a metal spider (although, technically, it only had four legs, and spiders had eight). His face darkened, realizing why they were here. And he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

The Face of Boe closed his eyes, as if thinking.

 _That was dangerous, Child of Time. What if he had discovered you? He already suspects something isn't completely right._

 _ **For the last time, don't call me that. And I know what I'm doing. I'm not letting any unnecessary deaths happen here.**_

 _But you must still be careful. You know what must happen after today is over. I must release you to him. I'm not able to look after you anymore._

 _ **I know, old friend. I'll miss you. And I guess I'll see you again someday.**_

 _You can count on it. Now, if you still insist on speeding things up, I suggest you finish soon. I am rather getting bored of this._

 _ **My pleasure.**_

Boe opened his eyes and nodded to the small girl dressed in white, before she disappeared again. And he hoped this time, things would be as they should.

* * *

 **Welp, that's it for that chapter. I tried making it as subtle as possible in regards to what happens in the second half. Not sure if I succeeded though. Oh well. Till next time!**


	3. The New One

**Hey guys! Time for chapter 2! This one is a little shorter than the previous chapter. This is where things really start to kick off. I think.**

 **EDIT: I added more content after rewatching some of season 1. Hopefully, it'll flow better.**

 **I don't own Doctor Who.**

 **Chapter 2: The New One**

It happened again. Everyone in the room had stopped moving, frozen in action. Everyone but him, of course. The Doctor was getting more and more frustrated with each passing second. Which wasn't exactly correct, since time seemed to have stopped. _Again,_ he thought. And then he stiffened. Something was different this time. He could feel it now. There was a presence right here in this room. It was really quite strong, actually. And unless he was hallucinating, he was staring at it right now.

The Doctor eyed the ripple in the air in front of him. It just stayed there for a moment, before raising its...arm(?), and seemed to point to something. He looked in the direction to where it was pointing and saw Cassandra. Before he could wonder even more, the ripple-thing dashed away down a corridor. Instinctively, he ran after whatever it was, to wherever it apparently wanted him to go to. After a few minutes of running, he saw that it had stopped outside a door with a panel next to it. The ripple pointed to the panel, then to the door. Puzzled, he took out his sonic, opened the panel, and began to scan.

After he got the door open, he went in. Giant propellers greeted him. But they were still as well. A lever and another panel caught his eye...along with another metal spider on the floor. He turned to the ripple.

"What now?"

He might as well talk to it. In response, it pointed to the panel, then to the spider, and finally to the other end of the room, where he saw a switch. And then it all dawned on him: the injured Steward, Cassandra being brought to his attention, the metal spiders, the panels...it made perfect sense. Grinning widely at the ripple-thing, he knew exactly what to do. With a wave (or what counted as one) , it disappeared. Taking advantage of the halt in time, the Doctor hurried across the room, ducking and moving around the propeller blades, until he reached the switch. _Time to save the day,_ he thought.

* * *

The Doctor frowned, staring at the child that materialized in front of him inside the TARDIS. How in the name of Gallifrey had he ended up with a child in his care? A child, of all things! He thought back to the conversation he had with the Face of Boe after saving everyone on Platform One...

 _I see you're still wondering why you were brought here._

 _"Why? Did you have anything to do with it?"_

 _This universe is wrong. So wrong. Things are not as they should be. Do you not notice?_

 _"Honestly...no, I don't. But I suspect you already know everything."_

 _Perhaps I do, perhaps I do not._

 _"Oh, with all due respect, Boe, don't give me that rubbish. What is it that you know?"_

 _Time is wrong, Doctor. Something happened that was not meant to happen._

 _"And I suppose you want me to sort it out, restore time? Sorry, not interested. I don't meddle. If it happened, then it was meant to happen. And I can't be bothered with changing something that doesn't affect me."_

And as he had turned to leave, the Face of Boe said something that made him stop dead in his tracks.

 _Ah, but it does affect you. It affects you greatly, from now until the future. Your lives, to be precise._

 _"Alright. I'm listening. Suppose I agree. What do you want me to do?"_

 _My time here grows short. I only ask you to take care of her. She is the most precious in existence. Nurture her. Help her grow. And when the time comes when you are in grave danger, she will come to your aid._

The Face of Boe had teleported out of the room right after that. The Doctor had stood there, puzzled at the meaning of the words. Shaking his head, he had returned to the TARDIS...which now had a new occupant.

That was how he now found himself staring at the girl dressed in white. And she stared back up at him with wide eyes. Was she the one that The Face of Boe had been referring to? The most precious in existence? This mere child? The Doctor almost laughed out loud at the sheer ludicrousness of it all. It wasn't like he hated children. He quite enjoyed their company from time to time, thank you very much! Unfortunately, they tended to wander, and wandering often led to trouble. He didn't really blame them, poor young things that they were. It was natural for them to be curious. He sighed. He would have to drop the child off at the first suitable planet he came across.

But the second that thought crossed his mind, a shower of sparks shot out from under the console, and the TARDIS gave him an angry-sounding hum. It was almost as if she didn't want the girl to leave. As if to prove a point, sparks erupted again, along with a rather painful jolt of static to his right foot. This was definitely strange. The TARDIS rarely took a liking to anyone this soon, and yet, here she was, adamant that the child should stay. He took a deep breath, hoping he would not regret this. Eyeing the girl, who was now playing with the hem of her dress, he knelt down so that he was on her level.

"Alright. You can stay here. I don't know why, but since both the TARDIS and your old guardian seem to think you're important in some way, I really have little say in the matter. Just don't get in the way," he said finally.

He expected the girl to give him a hug, as all children seemed to like doing that. But instead, she grinned widely and curtsied. _At least she's polite,_ he thought. Then she ran up the spiral staircase and into the upper depths of the TARDIS, no doubt being guided by her. The Doctor heaved another sigh (really, he's been doing a lot of sighing today), hoping again he would not regret letting the girl stay. In any case, he should at least give the girl a room to sleep in. He stood up, straightening his legs. And then, he promptly stumbled a little. His head felt oddly fuzzy. He stumbled again, and leaned on the console for support, before he succumbed to darkness and the dreams of a person whose face he couldn't see...

* * *

 _He was sitting on a playground swing in broad daylight. The playground in question was strangely empty, giving it a forlorn look. He was sure he hadn't seen it before, but somehow, it felt familiar. The surroundings were something else entirely, though. The buildings looked old and decrepit. The asphalt was cracked. The entire area as far as he could see was devoid of any plant-life. And though he'd had his own encounters with abandoned towns, the Doctor got the feeling that this wasn't supposed to be. Everything just looked, well, wrong._

 ** _It's bad, isn't it?_**

 _The Doctor nearly had a heart attack, and for a moment, he didn't realize that he didn't actually hear the voice. He looked around rapidly, only to find no one there. And he was quite sure he hadn't imagined it either, even though he knew he had heard it inside his head, but that was besides the point..._

 ** _You won't be able to find me, you know. So stop looking._**

 _"Where are you then? If you're not here, then how are you speaking to me?" he asked warily._

 _The voice laughed, and despite everything, there was a strange pleasantness to the sound. For a moment, the Doctor felt at ease. He could almost imagine the voice coming from a human girl._

 ** _I'm everywhere and nowhere at the same time. But I used to be here._**

 _"Well, I can understand why you're not here anymore," said the Doctor with a small chuckle._

 ** _No. I used to be here. But then I went away. I can't come back now._**

 _The Doctor's curiosity was finally piqued._

 _"So, what are you, exactly? Some sort of phantom?" he asked._

 _The voice laughed again._

 ** _I guess you can say that. I used to be real. I had a face. I had a name._**

 _"What was your name? Do you remember?"_

 _He was slightly surprised he even bothered asking. But this ghost, or phantom, or whatever it was, spoke with such a quiet intensity that reminded him of himself somehow._

 ** _It doesn't matter what I was called. When I went away, all of me went away. No one remembers. Everyone I had ever known or ever will know...I don't exist to them. I'm not real anymore, yet I'm still here._**

 _He was puzzled at first. He thought it was a phantom, but the way it described its death made it sound like it had died by...His eyes grew wide and his blood started to chill._

 _Before he could say what he hoped to not be the case, the voice spoke again._

 ** _I have to go now. Thank you for listening...Doctor._**

* * *

The Doctor woke up with a start, and found himself laying on the floor of the TARDIS. Muttering a few choice words in Gallifreyan, he shakily got to his feet. The dream he had was fading from his mind as he tried to make sense of it. But all he could remember was the abandoned and lifeless street, the empty playground, and how wrong it had felt to him. Cursing again at his mind's apparent lack of dream recovery, he decided to worry about it later. He had more important things to take care of first, like tracking down the girl before she got lost in the depths of the TARDIS. _And giving her a room,_ he thought, making his way up the stairs.

He went down one corridor, past several doors. If he had not been so preoccupied, he would have noticed the glow that was coming from one of the doors. And had the TARDIS decided not to switch things up again, he would have passed by that corridor again in a reasonable amount of time. But the Doctor did not go back there, at least not that night, anyway. So he didn't know that the golden light continued to shine from underneath that door, and would continue to do so for another few hours.

 **To be continued...**

* * *

 **That wraps it up for this chapter. Yes, I know the whole time-stopping/ripple thing seems a bit cheesy. And I know I just ended this chapter a bit abruptly. But that was where my brain took me, so I'm gonna go with it. I really hope the additions I made fleshed out this chapter a little. Till next time!**


	4. Guardian

**Hey everyone! Back with a new chapter. And boy, this one was a real b!tch to write. Kept on redoing the whole thing. I'm still not 100% happy with it, but I like it all the same. Here, there will be more dream sequences, a time jump, and flashbacks. The time-jump/flashbacks are mainly because I wasn't quite sure how to write about Nine's adventures without Rose. I'm still working on that bit. But enough of that for now. On we go!**

 **I do not own Doctor Who.**

 **Chapter 3: Guardian**

 _He was standing inside a small apartment. It was in shambles, and it appeared that no one had lived there in years. The couches were faded and torn in some places. Tables and chairs were overturned. Windows were cracked. Dust appeared thick on the surfaces. Hearing a faint melody coming from somewhere, he glanced around until his eyes landed on a door off to the side. Stepping over some broken glass, he made his way over and opened it._

 _He saw a bedroom, and from the pinkness of it all, he guessed it belonged to a girl. But unlike the rest of the apartment, except for the dust, it looked reasonably well kept. There was a desk on one side and a fair-sized bed in the center, as well as a closet. A music player (stereos, was it?) was perched on the desk. Ah, so that was the source of the music. But who used to live here?_

 _ **This was my home. And this is my room.**_

 _The Doctor stiffened and looked around. No one. Then he noticed a swing hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room, where the bed had just stood. A small girl, appearing no older than ten or eleven, was seated on it. She wore a blue dress and a pink jacket with a hood that drooped over her eyes, obscuring them from view. But the Doctor knew she was staring at him._

" _You're the one from the playground. You spoke to me. Who are you?" he asked._

 _The child's mouth curled into a smile._

 _ **You're persistent as ever. But I wouldn't expect anything less from you, you daft alien...**_

" _Are you...are you making fun of me? Right now? Seriously?" he said, raising his eyebrows._

 _ **That's the problem, isn't it? You're always so serious. It's like you don't even enjoy life anymore. Of course...I don't really blame you. Not after what you've been through...**_

 _The Doctor stiffened again._

" _You...whoever you are...just stop it. You can't even begin to fathom what it was I went through!" he snarled._

 _The girl smiled again, and faded. The Doctor nearly jumped as he heard the voice in his ear._

" _ **I think I can, just a little. And that's why..."**_

* * *

The Doctor woke up with a start. It was night-time in the TARDIS. Or what passed as night-time, anyway. He slid off the jumpseat where he'd apparently fallen asleep again, and started pacing about the console room. It'd be a normal thing for him to do in his free time, when he wasn't saving some planet or city and getting himself in trouble as a result. But for the first time in a very long time, something was bothering him. Quite a lot, actually, and not just the amount of times he'd dozed off and had dreams that he could only half-remember.

It was also to do with the series of adventures he'd been having lately. They all felt a little off. It wasn't just the time when he had landed in Cardiff in the 1860s and ended up saving Charles Dickens, of all people, from a race of ghostly blue beings called the Gelth, on Christmas, no less. It wasn't the time after that, when he had landed somewhere in London in 2006, and ended up saving the Earth from an alien family called the Slitheen from the planet Raxacoricofallapatorius (Rassilon, he _hated_ saying that.). They had been hell-bent on blowing up the Earth so that they could sell the chunks. As raw fuel. For profit. Wasn't that just brilliant? And if that wasn't enough, he didn't even want to think about that time shortly after, when he had ended up in the Salt Flats of Utah, in the year 2012. Out of all the stupid apes he had come across in his time, the one he met there had to have been beyond stupid. Arrogant, sick and twisted mind that he had, he called himself a collector. And the prize of his collection? A Dalek. A bloody Dalek.

Yet it wasn't any of it that bothered him. It was the girl. That strange child dressed in that hooded white dress. It had been days and days, if not weeks, since he had taken her in, and she still remained a mystery. He hardly saw her around the TARDIS, yet he knew she was there. Mainly because he would hear the sound of small footsteps running from time to time, or the opening and closing of a door. On the rare occasion that he did see her, she never spoke. Instead, she would regard him with those honey-colored eyes of hers. Those eyes often shone with amusement, but sometimes, he saw a glimpse of sadness in them. Or possibly longing. But what would she have been longing for? She only looked to be about 10 years old. Then again, he could be wrong.

Anyway, what really bothered the Doctor about the girl was that throughout all the recent dangers he had encountered, she had always been there, silent and observing. That is, until it looked like there was no hope left. Then suddenly, he would have the solution, like it was unlocked in his head. No, it was more like he had seen himself in his mind's eye doing those things that he, in turn, would do. Like he had done them before. Of course, that was impossible. Then again, he's a Time Lord. He lived impossibly. Still, even _he'd_ know if he'd done something before. Which meant, it most certainly had to be the girl.

The Doctor frowned to himself, still pacing. The Face of Boe had called the girl "the most precious" in the world (or was it existence? Universe, maybe?), but what was that other thing he said?

 _And when the time comes when you are in grave danger, she will come to your aid._

That part still bothered him a little. Yes, he had been in trouble during those adventures, but he wouldn't say he'd been in grave danger. Furthermore, Boe had said there would come a time, not many times. Yet, she was always there during the ensuing trouble, right next to him, watching, clutching his hand like the child she was...

The Doctor stopped dead in his pacing around the console, thinking back to those adventures.

* * *

 _He was trapped inside that dungeon thing as the Gelth-possessed corpses reached out to him. He was not liking this one bit, but he knew he had to come up with a plan. He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, and suddenly, the girl was right next to him when he'd told her to stay on the TARDIS. He stared at her, wanting to scold her for following him, but she clutched his hand and stared back at him, into his eyes, and he saw...He saw himself turning off all the lights and turning on the gas. He saw! And then he did as he saw..._

* * *

 _Downing Street. Trapped inside a room with Harriet Jones. And with those damn Slitheen just outside the door. He had started pacing about, trying to find out where they were from, and their weakness. As he passed the large table again, he saw the girl in front of him. He let out a groan of frustration. Why, why, WHY did she not listen when he told her to stay in the TARDIS? Was it her mission in life to disobey everything he said? She stared at him again, with her strange green-brown eyes, and lifted her right hand to hold his. His mind had blanked out for a second, but then he suddenly started to realize just exactly what it was he needed. He looked over at her again, a small smile tugging at his mouth..._

* * *

 _Daleks. It just had to be Daleks. Well, just one Dalek, actually. But still. Out of everything that Van Statten fellow collected, he just had to have a living Dalek in his possession. Just his luck. For some reason though, the girl wasn't there this time. He couldn't blame her. Anywhere was better than here with this Dalek. So imagine his surprise when he saw her standing next to the exposed creature on the first floor. The other surprising thing was that it did not try to kill her. Nor was she afraid of it. Instead, she appeared to be comforting it, allowing one of its tentacles to curl around her small hand. She glanced at the Doctor, and then at the rather large gun he was holding, and shook her head. She pitied that cold killing machine. But...why? He studied them carefully. The girl was staring at the Dalek, and it was staring right back at her, neither of them speaking. If he didn't know any better, he'd have thought that they were communicating telepathically. When the girl looked back at him, he saw tears in her eyes. The Dalek closed itself off again, letting go of her hand. It began to levitate and the spheres on its body detached. There was a brilliant flash...and then it was gone..._

* * *

With the possible exception of their Dalek encounter, the Doctor realized that everything that had gotten him and the girl out of (very likely) painful deaths had stemmed from the fact that she had only appeared exactly when things began looking dire, and that she had held his hand. He had thought she'd been merely seeking comfort, but now he wasn't so sure. The girl, he now suspected, was involved in this, in an even bigger way than he could imagine. And if anything, he knew he wouldn't rest until he found out just who, or what, that girl was.

* * *

" _Jack...Jack!"_

 _The immortal captain glanced around himself. It was pitch dark everywhere. Other than his own body, he couldn't see anything around him. Wondering absently if he'd overdone it with that last drink (or two or three or however many) he had, he was suddenly launched backward onto the non-existing ground. Swearing under his breath, he got back to his feet, dusting off his coat, when he saw her. A small girl wearing a white dress with a hood that covered her eyes just stood there, staring at him. Or he thought she was staring, it was a little hard to tell. He cautiously approached the girl. Dream or not, she could be dangerous. As he reached out, the girl began to glow brightly. Jack shielded his eyes, noticing vaguely that the girl seemed to grow taller. When the glow subsided, he looked at where she had been. And he could swear his heart almost stopped._

" _Rosie?"_

 _The blonde woman smiled at him and walked over._

" _Hello, Jack. It's been awhile," she said._

" _But...but you fell into the void," he said._

" _And how did you know that, Captain?"_

 _Jack opened his mouth, but then stopped. How_ did _he know that? He looked at Rose, not sure what to say, which was a first for him._

" _Jack...didn't you ever wonder why you can't die?" she asked gently, looking up into those bright eyes._

" _Well..." began the captain, but he stopped short as he noticed the golden glow swirling in her eyes._

 _Rose smiled as realization dawned on him._

" _That's right. Satellite 5. Only I couldn't control it. I brought you back for good," she said quietly._

 _Jack found his voice after a few moments._

" _But why? I was supposed to go down fighting. Blaze of glory and all that," he said, half-jokingly._

 _Rose suddenly found Jack's vortex manipulator extremely interesting, concentrating her gaze on it. She looked a little embarrassed about something, and Jack almost laughed._

" _He sent me home. But I had to save him. I had to protect him. So I looked into the TARDIS and she looked into me. That's what "Bad Wolf" is. I create myself. I scattered the words in time and space, to lead myself to him," she began. "I saw everything, Jack. All that is, all that was, all that could be...it was killing me. But before he took it out of me...I brought you back. I wanted you to live."_

 _Her hands began to shake as she clenched them. Jack, noticing this, held them in his own._

" _But Rosie, why did you do it? Not that I'm complaining, of course," he asked, studying her face._

" _Like I said, I couldn't control it then. But I think a part of me knew, too. I was Bad Wolf at the moment, I did see all possible futures and timelines," she mumbled quietly._

" _What? What did you know?"_

 _Jack suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a tight hug as Rose threw her arms around him. Or as tight as a hug could be in a dream._

" _Whoa, there. Rosie, what's wrong? C'mon, you can tell me," he said, a little surprised, but not denying the warmth that only she seemed to be able to give him._

 _After a few more moments of silence, Rose spoke, voice slightly muffled in his chest._

" _I need you, Jack. Other than the Doctor, you're the one I trust most. And it was the same throughout all the possible outcomes. Regardless of whether I fell through the void or not. You were always there, Jack, watching over me, protecting me and making sure I was alright. But the one timeline you appeared in the most is the current one. The one where I fell into the void."_

 _Jack listened, trying to process what she had said so far. Of course, he would look out for her and protect her without a second thought, but what about the Doctor? As if she could read his mind (which he suspected she could), Rose continued._

" _I don't exist to him anymore. It's like my entire existence was erased. And in a way, it was. My body was pretty much erased when I fell in there, but everything else survived because of Bad Wolf. So I sent what was left to different parts of time, more specifically, different parts of the Doctor's timeline."_

" _Wait...does that mean there's several of you traipsing around?" Jack asked incredulously._

 _Rose looked up at Jack and smirked, arms still around his neck._

" _More or less, Jack, but don't get any ideas."_

" _Can't blame a guy for trying. I always thought that if it weren't for the Doctor, I would've had a chance with you," he said, grinning devilishly and swinging her around in his arms._

 _Rose giggled loudly and Jack felt more warmth toward her as he set her down._

" _Anyway, that's nice and all, but back to what I was saying. There are several of me, each in a different part of the Doctor's timeline. They have to be found by him, and once he does, he must bring them, well me, together. Only then will I live again," she said, serious again._

" _Boy, that sounds strangely...grim. You're pretty much saying that your entire, er, re-existence depends on the Doctor. And that's if he's able to find all of you," Jack said._

" _Yeah, pretty much," Rose agreed, and then she face-faulted. She sank down and seated herself on what passed for the floor. Jack joined her, sitting next to her._

" _What is it?" he asked, concerned._

 _He was met with a look of mild exasperation and amusement._

" _That did sound really grim, didn't it? But the point I'm trying to make is..."_

 _Rose trailed off, and Jack noticed her cheeks grew slightly pink and she avoided his eyes._

" _What? Whatever it is, is it really that bad?" he teased._

 _Rose shot him a glare, but he knew she wasn't mad._

" _You're gonna have to find me first. And you can't let go of me, no matter how insistent he gets. No matter what, you have to stay with me," she said._

" _Rose, I would gladly stay with you even if you didn't ask. But I have to ask, why are you letting me know all this? I mean, if the Doctor can't remember..."_

 _Rose leaned against him before he could finish, resting her head on his shoulder._

" _He'll be suspicious of me every time. And it will hurt like hell. I won't be able to handle it alone. I need you there," she said in a low voice._

 _Jack nodded. He understood completely. And he'd be lying if he said he wasn't touched at the amount of trust she was putting in him._

" _Alright, Rosie. I promise you, I'll be with you every step of the way," he said._

" _Thanks Jack..."_

 _Jack looked at her as she began to fade._

" _Rosie? What's going on?!" he shouted, alarmed._

" _It's okay, Jack. It just means I have to wake up. And so do you."_

" _Will I remember this?"_

 _Rose smiled as her body continued to fade._

" _Not really. But you'll know you have to find me. And you'll know who I am after you do. Just don't go blurting out who I am, because he won't get it."_

 _She gave him a quick peck on the lips. He looked at her, a little shocked._

" _Shouldn't you save that for the Doc?" he asked, blushing slightly, but not minding one bit._

 _Rose laughed again. She was almost gone now._

" _Jack...I love the Doctor. But I love you just as much. That's probably the other reason why I brought you back forever, now that I think about it. Now, go ahead and wake up. You'll see me real soon, okay?"_

 _With that, she was completely gone._

* * *

Jack opened his eyes blearily, still seated in his stolen ship. His head was slightly pounding; he really shouldn't have drank so much. But now was not the time to be questioning his beverage choices. He had a blind date with a cute girl after all. And he'd do anything to find her. He grinned as he cloaked the ship, and set a course for Big Ben.

* * *

 **Yes, I just did that. Please don't hate me. I always thought Rose and Jack had a deeper bond going on, something only they share. I know I made it sound like she was possibly in love with him, and I toyed with that idea for awhile. But, as it is, she'll have a different bond with him than the one she has with the Doctor. Like, more along the lines of closest friend, confidant, protector, etc. If any of you are familiar with the series Boys Over Flowers and the eventual relationship between Makino and Rui, specifically in the J-drama and K-drama, then you know what I'm trying to aim for. Until next time!**


	5. Of Promises and Dances

**Hey, everyone! Back with a new chapter. This one was harder than the last chapter, because it takes place during The Empty Child and I was trying to figure out a way to write it without drastically changing or cutting out the scenes too much. I have decided that young Rose will be referred to as Rosie while she is with Jack. And until the Doctor learns to trust her, he won't know her name, and the parts that are in his POV will reflect this. That said, this chapter has quite a bit of Rose/Jack brother-sister-best friend fluffiness in it that was really fun to write. Enjoy!**

 **I do not own Doctor Who.**

 **Chapter 4: Of Promises and Dances**

The Doctor's patience with the girl was starting to wear thin. He had told her to stay in the TARDIS where it was safe. Several times, in fact. Though how safe, he couldn't really tell, since the ride to their current location was not what he called smooth. He had been following a mauve object, which he then had tethered to the TARDIS, when it suddenly decided to jump time tracks in an effort to get away. After landing in yet another alleyway, he began his usual investigation, making sure the TARDIS door was securely shut. And then he had been laughed out at some sort of underground club when he'd asked the patrons if they'd seen any fallen objects recently. Really, how was he supposed to know that he'd landed in 1941, smack dab in the middle of The London Blitz?

And if that wasn't bad enough, the dummy phone on the outside of the TARDIS had started ringing. A warning from a young woman had told him not to answer it, but the ringing was irritating him. Not to mention it was bad form all around to ignore a ringing phone. The repeated cry of "Mummy? Are you my mummy? Mummy!" on the other end unnerved him though. And worse still, a quick run around the TARDIS told him that the girl had left. Which was why he was now running down the alleys and streets trying to find her, wondering when he'd meet someone who would grasp the concept of "don't wander off."

* * *

As soon as he saw her gripping the ropes of that barrage balloon, Jack knew it was her. Memories of a voided time-line came tumbling in. He snickered as he recalled what happened before. "Excellent bottom," he'd said. Well, that would definitely not be appropriate this time, seeing as she looked only about ten years old now. And while he knew she (or a part of her, at least) was a child, the fact remained that she was still Rose inside. Algy came over to him and started talking about something or other. Pretending to focus his binoculars on the barrage balloon but actually eying the small girl that was now swinging on it, he said , "Cute face."

"I say, Old Man. There's...there's a time and a place," said Algy, slightly flustered. "Look, we should really be off."

"Sorry, Old Man. I gotta go meet a girl. But you've got a pretty face, too," Jack said casually to Algy as he left for his ship.

He had only taken a few steps out of the room when he used his emergency teleport to get himself back to the ship. This wasn't much of an emergency, but the sooner he could rescue her from the barrage balloon, the better. Well that, and the fact that it really was very dangerous for a kid (or anybody) to be hanging onto a balloon in the sky like that in the middle of a German air raid. Sitting on the pilot's seat, he prepared the tractor beam. And just like before, she fell right into his arms. But it seemed like her younger body could handle the beam even less than her older self, because unlike last time, Rose was already unconscious. Sighing, Jack placed her onto his bed and sat with her.

* * *

The Doctor had to hand it to the young woman named Nancy. At first, he thought she was sneaking into the house to steal valuables when the air raid sirens sounded off. But after a few minutes, she came back outside, smiling; clearly, she was pleased about something. Fingers to her mouth, she had whistled three times, as if calling for something. He stayed put in his spot behind the brick wall, waiting to see what would happen. It wasn't long until he saw children coming from all directions and run into the house. Hmmm...this was interesting. What could a bunch of homeless (he assumed) kids want with a house during a raid? Didn't they know how dangerous it was? Why, even the family that lived in this house fled to their air raid shelter, and they didn't seem like the smartest of the bunch. The husband had actually been complaining about dinner when the wife was telling him to hurry up...The Doctor grinned. Dinner. To a bunch of homeless kids, food was definitely more valuable than, er, valuables. Quietly, he clambered over the wall, made his way around to the back door, and sneaked in.

* * *

Jack should have felt uncomfortable. Shortly after tucking the small girl into his bed, he had decided to stay with her. As in sit with his back slightly propped up while she snoozed next to him. Being in the same bed with a kid was highly frowned upon in most cultures, right? But she wasn't just a kid. She was Rose Tyler. A friend. No, closer than that. His best friend, perhaps? No, not quite right, either. She was more like his sister and his best friend and...something else that he couldn't name, all at once. Huh...was there a word for that?

Jack shook his head lightly, bemused, when he noticed she was staring at him with her wide eyes.

"Rosie, did you sleep well?" he asked, ruffling her hair.

She stared at him some more, before getting up and sliding off the bed. Jack followed suit, but he only had time to swing his legs over the side when Rose stood in front of him and took his hands into her small ones.

 _ **Yes, I did sleep well. I feel a lot better, actually.**_

A weaker man than Captain Jack Harkness probably would have done something unbelievably stupid that would have most likely resulted in being knocked unconscious. Or worse, hurting the girl. But Jack was proud to say that he was not so weak (quite strong, actually, because he worked out regularly, but that's besides the point). Still, he was fairly surprised when she spoke in his mind.

"Rosie? How are you doing that?" he asked her.

 _ **This is the only way I can communicate. For now, at least. Oh, and also when we sleep. Remember?**_

She smiled gaily at him, and he chuckled, ruffling her hair again.

"Of course I do. At first, I thought I drank too much. But that was you, wasn't it?" he said.

She looked directly into his face this time, her eyes boring into his. She let go of his hands and reached up to touch his temples with her fingertips.

"Rosie...what...?"

Jack's vision began to blur, almost immediately followed by drowsiness. He slumped backwards onto the bed again, not even noticing as Rosie (because that's how he always thought of her, now more than ever) curled up by his side.

* * *

 _Jack looked around him. He was in a bedroom, a girl's room, judging by the large pink bed occupying it. There were clothes messily folded up that were laying on a chair. A large mirror stood next to a small dresser. It was the pictures on the mirror that caught his attention, however, and his eyes widened as he realized where he was._

" _That's right, Jack. You remember my room on the TARDIS, don't you?"_

 _He looked around and saw Rosie- no, Rose (dammit, this was starting to get confusing)- laying on the bed on her stomach with her head propped up in her hands._

" _How could I not? The amount of times the Doctor threatened me to stay out...not something I'd forget," he said, chuckling._

 _He joined her on the bed, laying on his side and supporting his head with an elbow._

" _So, Rosie. What's with all this?" he asked, toying with a strand of her hair._

" _Oh, I was just getting tired of thinking at you, that's all," she said teasingly. "And we've also got about an hour before we have to meet up with the Doctor, and since I can't exactly have champagne and dance with you in my current body, I figured another dream might be a good way to pass the time."_

" _Fair enough. But who says we can't have our dance? And where is the Doctor, anyway?" asked Jack._

" _Yeah, come to think of it, there's probably no harm in dancing. I'm not really sure where he is. I didn't know last time either. I think he might be trying to get the location of that mauve object. You know, the uh, Chula Warship that was actually an ambulance that you had us chasing?"_

 _Jack look a little sheepish as Rose shot him an exasperated look._

" _Uh, yeah, sorry 'bout that, Rosie. Conman, remember? Or soon-to-be-ex-conman. Same difference," he mumbled._

 _Rose gave him a playful shove, laughing as it made him roll onto his back._

" _Oh, c'mon. Before seeing me, you didn't really remember who I was, only that you had to find me. Which is really because what happened tonight back then has to play out more or less the same this time," she said, folding up her arms and resting her head on them. "I mean, if you did remember, you probably wouldn't have tossed that thing at us this time, and I can almost bet that we wouldn't have met and that this wouldn't be the night that everybody lives. That'd be horrible."_

" _Yeah, wouldn't want that. Meeting you was possibly the best thing that ever happened to me, Rosie," he said._

 _That earned him a kiss on the cheek as Rose nestled closer to him._

" _You know, if you had told me that back then, I would've said that meeting you was the second best thing that happened. This time...I dunno. I mean, yeah, I'm with the Doctor again, but seeing as he still doesn't trust me yet...it's not the same," she said quietly._

" _Oh, Rosie..."sighed Jack. "It's gotta hurt, huh? Him not trusting you, I mean. It took him awhile to trust me too. So don't worry. He'll get around to it. In the meantime, I'll be here for you, okay? So you won't be alone. I promised you, didn't I?"_

" _Yep, you did," she said, getting up off the bed. She reached her hand out toward Jack. "Now, how about we wake up and have our dance, hmmm? I think we still got about twenty minutes, give or take."_

 _Jack gave her his roguish grin as he let her pull him up._

" _Yeah, I think we could do that."_

With a jolt, Jack sat up. Shaking his head to rid himself of the residual dizziness from their little brain meeting, he slowly stood. Rosie was already standing in front of him, pulling down her hood.

Jack smiled and aimed his sonic tool somewhere toward the front of the ship. "Moonlight Serenade" began to play, and he held out his hand.

"May I have this dance?"

Rosie nodded and returned his smile, taking his hand.

 _ **It would be my pleasure, Captain.**_

And they began to waltz. It was a little awkward, since she was almost three feet shorter than him. But still, they danced, letting their concerns about the Doctor and her life drift away with the tunes of Glenn Miller for awhile. Because although they knew what was to come (mostly), this moment was theirs alone: The Immortal Captain and the Wolf he swore to always protect.

* * *

 **I hope I didn't overdo it in the fluff department with them. I just went with the flow on this one and I couldn't stop. Next chapter should cover the rest of The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances story. Although, I'm not too sure about the Doctor dancing with her since he's still suspicious of her. There may or may not be fluff between the Doctor and Rosie, since I don't wanna rush things. We'll see. Until next time!**


	6. When Everybody Lived

**Hey guys! Back with a longer chapter this time. Honestly, I had considered splitting this up into two chapters, but I couldn't really find a good point to break it off. Sorry if it gets a little too wordy at times. I'm beginning to appreciate just how challenging it is to write this story without proper-Rose and still have it retain some resemblance to the episodes. It's fun, though. On with the story, then!**

 **I do not own Doctor Who.**

 **Chapter 5: When Everybody Lived**

* * *

Gas-masked zombies. As in, zombies that were wearing gas masks. Which somehow grew from the faces of people that were supposed to be healthy. They were all saying variations of the same thing: "Mummy! Mummy? Are you my mummy?" Which absolutely did not disturb him in the slightest. In fact, the night was getting better and better the longer it went on. But in all seriousness, he had to find out what was wrong with these people, and hopefully save them. Acting on a tip that girl Nancy gave him, he had headed into the old hospital after she lead him to the other end of Limehouse Green Station.

"There's someone you need to talk to first. The Doctor," she'd said.

Well, that had been easy enough. He'd made his way through the wards of the hospital, all of them occupied with the gas-mask people sleeping on the beds, before he came across the doctor. Constantine, he was called. And he was close to dying, he noted. When Dr. Constantine asked him to check the patients, he did so, albeit a little skeptically. But soon it turned into disbelief as he realized that all the patients had the same wounds: head trauma on the left side, partial collapse of the chest cavity on the right, and scarring on the back of the right hand. Mysterious still, was the fact that none of the patients had been caught in the bomb impact.

The Doctor looked back at Dr. Constantine, who had sighed as he began to tell him how, at first, there had only been one victim. How all the nurses and doctors who'd treated him became afflicted with the same injuries the next morning. How it all spread and by the time a week was over, the entire hospital was taken. Even more bizarre? None of the patients were physically alive, yet they still lived. Constantine had demonstrated this by hitting a trash bin; the dull clang woke up the patients and they all sat up at the same time for a few moments before laying back down. He then went on to say how there were isolated cases before wincing in pain. The Doctor rushed forward, concerned, but Constantine refused.

"Stay back. Stay back! Listen to me. Top floor. Room 802. That's where they took the first victim. The one from the crash site. And you must find Nancy again," he said urgently.

"Nancy?" asked the Doctor, confused.

"It was her brother. She knows more than she is saying. She won't tell me, but she..."

Dr. Constantine stopped there, apparently unable to continue as he started gasping and groaning in pain and trying to breathe. He made guttural sounds, trying to speak.

"...Mum...my..." he croaked.

The Doctor's eyes widened. _No. It couldn't be._

"Are...you...my...Mum...my...?"

The Doctor looked on in horror as Dr. Constantine's mouth opened wide and the muzzle of a gas mask forced its way out. His eyes were next as the lenses did the same, followed by the rest of his face. Within moments, he was one of them, a gas-masked zombie. His head drooped over on the side, no longer alive, but not really dead.

The Doctor stood there, staring at the thing that had been Constantine before he heard a voice calling.

"Hello?"

It was a man's voice. Frowning, he turned toward the doors. _Who in the universe in their right minds would come here,_ he thought. The voice called out again, this time a little more louder.

"Hello?"

With an annoyed grunt, the Doctor strode over to the double doors and yanked one open. And found himself face to face with a dark-haired, blue-eyed man wearing a long military coat. He would have fit in quite well. However, the thing on his wrist ( _Oh, great. A Time Agent mucking about. Just what I needed)_ said quite clearly that he did not belong. But that was not the important part. He was carrying the girl in his arms, like how a parent would carry their child. And that bothered the Doctor. He watched as the man adjusted so he could carry the girl with one arm and extended his left hand out to him.

"Captain Jack Harkness. I've been hearing all about you on the way here," he said, shaking his hand. "It's a real pleasure to meet you, Doctor Spock."

The Doctor almost spluttered when he heard that name as he watched this Jack ease his left arm around the girl again in what looked like a protective manner. He noticed a faint look of amusement pass between them, like they were sharing an inside joke.

"Ah, likewise. Tell me, why do you have my ward...uh, I mean, the girl with you?" asked the Doctor.

"I found her about an hour ago. Poor kid was hanging from a barrage balloon and she was about to fall. So I saved her," said Jack, walking through the door.

The Doctor, realizing he was still holding the door open, let it swing shut and followed after the young Captain, intent on learning more. But the Captain beat him to it.

"So. Doctor. How did you end up with her being your ward? I mean, I wouldn't know myself, but I was under the impression that doctors are too busy for anything other than healing people. Which is admirable, by the way," he said, setting the girl down and holding her hand instead.

"It's a long story. You wouldn't be interested," said the Doctor evasively.

"Try me," said Jack, raising his eyebrows.

The Doctor heaved a sigh. He needed to find a way to save those patients, but he was still at a loss. _Might as well talk._

"I won't bore you with the details, but it was in the year 5.5/Apple/26. There was a viewing party for the day the Earth burned. One of the attendees tried sabotaging it and I ended up having to save the day. And before I knew it, the sponsor of the event left her in my care," he said, pacing around.

To his slight annoyance, Jack was staring at him with a mixture of amusement and skepticism.

"Uh-huh. So, basically, you're like her nanny now," he said with a snicker.

"Oi, sod off! It's not like I asked!" the Doctor snapped. "I found her on my ship afterward. Wanted to drop her off on Earth somewhere. Maybe even New Earth. Somewhere she could be taken care of. But..."

Jack's smile faded.

"But what?" he asked.

"My ship seemed to take issue with that. So I had to let her stay," finished the Doctor.

A dark look crossed the Captain's face, and he noticed how he pulled the girl closer to him, as if he was afraid he might lose her. Strange.

"Let me ask you something, Captain. What is it about her that fascinates you?" he asked. "You say you saved her, and I don't doubt that. But you look like you're trying to protect her. Why?"

Jack's jaw tightened as he looked down at the girl for a moment, and she looked back up at him.

"She...she reminds me of someone I lost a long time ago. My sister," he finally said, ruffling the girl's hair.

The Doctor could tell he was hiding something, but he sensed the truth in his words; the pain in his voice was hard to miss. Sighing, he nodded at the younger man in understanding.

"I get it. I really do. But right now, I'm in the middle of a very big problem here. One that could be disastrous if it gets out of hand," he said, gesturing to the gas-masked people in the beds.

The Captain glanced around.

"What _is_ happening here, Doc?" he asked.

The Doctor flicked his eyes over to the patients as he spoke.

"Human DNA is being re-written. By an idiot."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, some kind of virus. Converting human beings into these things. But why? What's the point?"

The Doctor spoke the last part distractedly, and his eyes narrowed slightly. He really could not shake the feeling that there was something more going on between the girl and the Captain. He had noticed their gazes meeting every so often, but now it looked like they were staring rather intently into each others' eyes. Almost like they were silently communicating with each other. Or more like the girl was communicating with him. But that was impossible, right? Well, nothing was really impossible, just highly unlikely. And the possibility that these two were telepathic definitely fell under that category.

And then, quite suddenly, his train of thought was interrupted when the gas-masked zombies all sat up at once and climbed out of their beds.

"Mummy?"

"Mummy!

"Mummy, mummy..."

More and more cries for their mummy filled the air as they slowly shuffled toward the Doctor, Jack, and the girl. More and more, as they found themselves backed against the wall. The Doctor felt a small hand grab at his wrist and he looked at the girl, who was once again carried in the Captain's arms. His mind began to haze.

" _Go to your room!"_

He shook his head rapidly, trying to clear it.

"Go to your room," he admonished.

To his immense surprise, the gas-masked zombies stopped shuffling and stood still.

"Go to your room!" he said again, raising his voice slightly.

The zombies tilted their heads to the left, as if in confusion.

"I mean it. I'm very, very angry with you. I'm very, very cross. Go. To. Your. Room!" he nearly bellowed, finger pointing in the air.

The zombies turned around and made their way back to their beds. The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm really glad that worked. Those would've been terrible last words," he said brightly.

Jack only rolled his eyes and both him and the girl shared another look of amusement. The Doctor frowned slightly again. Really, just _what_ exactly was the big joke between them? It was starting to drive him nuts. He was about to go over to them when he noticed their looks became intense again. The young Captain was staring into the face of the girl, and unless he was mistaken, the Doctor thought he looked troubled. The girl, in turn, had a soft look in her eyes, like she was trying to reassure him. This went on for a few more minutes until finally, Jack nodded, a look of resignation on his face. With a sigh, he turned to the Doctor.

"I know what went wrong. It was that thing you were chasing earlier," he began.

"Wait...that mauve object? Are you telling me you...?" the Doctor trailed off, irritation beginning to well up.

"Yes. I was the one who threw it. Mind you, you weren't supposed to be the ones who ended up with it," Jack said, setting the girl down on a chair and sitting on the one next to her. "But you just had to go and tether yourselves to it."

"What do you mean, we weren't supposed to end up with it? Who was it supposed to be for?" asked the Doctor, glaring at him.

And as the Doctor listened to the ex-Time Agent launch into an explanation on how he had planned to con the Time Agency, he couldn't help but notice again the closeness between Jack and the girl. He also suspected that Jack knew her name. This thought did not really make him feel any better. In fact, he felt something akin to jealousy. (Hah. Time Lords did NOT get jealous.)

"...I buy him a drink with his own money and we discuss dumb luck. The perfect self-cleaning con," Jack finished.

"Yeah, perfect," grumbled the Doctor.

Jack heaved another sigh.

"Look, it really wasn't supposed to be this way. I never meant to hurt anyone. I even programmed the flight computer so it wouldn't land on anything living," he said. "But I think something got out of it."

"What do you mean?" asked the Doctor impatiently.

Before Jack had a chance to answer, another siren went off.

"The all-clear," he said glumly.

"I wish," scoffed the Doctor, and left through the doors.

* * *

Jack watched the Doctor go. He and Rosie gave each other exasperated looks.

"What do you think, Rosie? Let's go after him, huh?" he asked, holding his hand out to her.

She nodded and took his hand, grinning. With that, they ran out of the ward and into the corridors.

"Doctor Spock?" Jack shouted, trying not to laugh.

As they ran past a stairwell, they heard him.

"Have you got a blaster?"

Skidding to a halt, they turned and headed over to the stairs. The Doctor was leaning over the railing on the second flight.

"Sure," said Jack.

They ran up the stairs and stopped in front of a door marked "802."

"The night your space junk landed, someone was hurt. This is where they were taken," explained the Doctor.

"What happened?" asked Jack.

"Let's find out. Get it open."

Jack rolled his eyes, but got out his sonic blaster anyway and pointed it at the keyhole. A square ray of blue energy shot out and in seconds, the keyhole and the metal plating were gone. The door swung open slightly.

"Sonic blaster, 51st century. Weapon factories of Villengard," said the Doctor, eying the blaster.

Jack bit back a snarky response, knowing what had happened to the factories. The Doctor's obsession with bananas was amusing from time to time, but this was not one of them. However, he smiled at Rosie, remembering her saying that she liked the blaster. Or more precisely, the blast pattern. Same difference, really. He followed the Doctor into the room, noticing how Rosie seemed to tighten her arms around him. He didn't blame her in the slightest. What happened the first time gave him the creeps too. He really had no desire to relive it.

The Doctor turned on the light.

"What do you think?" he asked.

Jack gave the room a once-over. Chairs were over-turned, paper was strewn around, and glass from what appeared to be an observation room littered the floor. Old recording equipment lay battered on the desk.

"Something got out," he said.

"Yeah. And?"

"Something powerful. Angry."

The Doctor nodded slightly.

"Powerful and angry," he echoed.

He went over to the recording equipment while Jack inspected the observation room with Rosie. The paper scattered on the floor all had drawings. They looked like they were drawn by a child. A stuffed polar bear on wheels sat near one corner and most of the walls were covered with similar crayon drawings.

"A child? I suppose this explains 'Mummy.' But how could a child do this?"

Though he was fast recovering the memories of what happened previously, Jack still found it difficult to swallow.

" **Do you know where you are?"**

Reflexively, he tightened his hold on Rosie at the voice. He turned toward the Doctor, who had turned on the recording.

" **Are you my mummy?"**

" **Are you aware of what's around you? Can you...see?"**

" **Are you my mummy?"**

" **What do you want? Do you know-?"**

" **I want my mummy! Are you my mummy? I want my mummy! Are you my mummy? Are you my mummy? Mummy? Mummy?"**

Rosie suddenly buried her face into Jack's chest. He felt her shaking and turned toward the Doctor, opening his mouth to tell him to turn the recording off; the repeated calls of "Mummy!" were unnerving him too. But the Doctor was already striding into the observation room, looking more than a little frustrated.

"What is it? What's wrong with her?" he asked impatiently.

"She's scared, Doc. And frankly, I don't blame her," said Jack, annoyed.

"Can you sense it, then? Or her? Coming out of the walls, can you feel it? Funny little human brains. How do you get around in those things?"

Jack bit back another retort at the Doctor's insult. He might have considered the Time Lord his friend, but the rudeness was one thing he didn't miss. The Doctor began pacing around, continuing his train of thought, punctuated by the recording.

"There are these children, living rough around the bomb sites. They come out during air raids, looking for food. Suppose they were there when this thing, whatever it was, landed. Suppose one was affected, altered."

" **I'm here!"**

"It's afraid. Terribly afraid and powerful. It doesn't know it yet. But it will do. It's got the power of a god and I just sent it to its room."

The Doctor chuckled humorlessly at this. That was when Jack noticed the small flapping noise. It sounded like...

"I'm here! Can't you see me? **"**

"End of the tape. It ran out about 30 seconds ago," said the Doctor, a grimace on his face.

"I'm here now! Can't you see me? **"**

"I sent it to its room. This is its room," he said, eyes widening.

Quickly he spun around, and Jack saw the gas-masked child standing on the other side of the glass, where the recording equipment was.

"Are you my mummy?" it repeated, tilting its head. "Mummy?"

"Okay. On my signal, make for the door," he said tensely, already feeling the embarrassment of what would happen next.

Which was to pull out a banana, aim it at the zombie kid, and bellow out, "NOW!"

The Doctor, who had his blaster, aimed it at the wall and pulled.

"Go, now! And don't drop the banana! It's a good source of potassium!" he shouted as they rushed through the large square-shaped hole.

Once on the other side, Jack snatched his blaster from the Doctor's grip.

"Gimme that!" he yelled, and aimed it at the hole, which the child was now approaching.

"Mummy! I want my mummy..."

Instantly, the wall became solid again. The two men breathed a sigh of relief, while Rosie relaxed somewhat in Jack's arms. The Captain kissed her forehead affectionately.

"Digital rewind. Nice switch," he said, tossing the banana back to the Doctor.

"It's from the groves of Villengard. Thought it was appropriate," said the Time Lord smugly.

"There really is a banana grove in the heart of Villengard? And you did that?"

"Bananas are good."

A rather loud crunching sound came from the wall they had just closed up, followed by a louder cracking, pounding sound. The wall began to split.

"C'mon!" yelled the Doctor.

They bolted around the corner and started dashing down another hallway toward yet another set of double doors. But before they reached them, they opened and a slew of gas-masked zombies came shuffling in toward them, all calling for their mummy. Quickly, they ran back the way they came from, only to see another group of them coming.

"It's keeping us here so it can get at us," said the Doctor, looking at both groups approaching. "It's not just controlling them, it _is_ them. It's every living thing in this hospital."

"Okay. This can function as a sonic blaster, a sonic cannon, and it's a triple-folded sonic disruptor. Doc, what you got?"

Jack could hardly keep the smirk off his face, remembering how he pretty much upstaged the Doctor last time. And sure enough, he listened to the Doctor try and deflect until the zombies were practically pressing in on all sides, until he shouted "Screwdriver!" Grinning at Rosie knowingly, he slipped his blaster into her hands and helped her aim it at the floor.

"Doc! We're going down!"

The three fell through and into the room beneath, Jack using his body to cushion Rosie from hitting the floor. Quickly, he sealed the hole in the ceiling and straightened himself up. Rosie, who had gotten to her feet, sidled next to him and clutched his hand. He looked down at her.

" _You okay, Rosie?"_

 _ **Yeah, I'm fine.**_

"Doc, you okay?" he asked.

"Could've used a warning," grumbled the Doctor.

"You're welcome," he said, sarcastically. "Who has a sonic screwdriver?"

"I do," came the indignant reply.

"Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks 'Ooh, this could be a little more sonic?'"

"What? You never been bored? Never had a long night? Never had a lot of cabinets to put up?"

"Mummy!"

Jack gulped. Apparently, their little argument was loud enough to wake up more of the zombies. Like the others, they climbed out of their beds and shuffled towards them.

"Door!" he shouted, running to it while pulling Rosie gently after him. "And use your screwdriver thing! I don't think my blaster has any more juice left. Which, thanks by the way, since someone had to blow up the factory, so I couldn't even get a new battery for it."

The Doctor just rolled his eyes and soniced the door open. They ran into the room. As the Doctor soniced the door shut and locked, Jack knelt down to Rosie's level. She regarded him solemnly, and the Captain realized, with a sinking feeling, how the rest needed to play out, what he needed to do. She slipped her hand into his again.

 _ **Jack...I'm sorry. But it needs to happen this way, and you know that.**_

" _I know, Rosie. I just hate leaving you alone. And I know he's the Doctor, but...he's not_ our _Doctor."_

 _ **I get it, Jack. Don't worry. Everything will be fine, I promise. I'll make sure of it! You can count on me!**_

" _I know I can. Doesn't mean I like it any better though. Maybe I should order him to protect you at all costs."_

 _ **I don't think he'll like that. It'll be funny though, yeah?**_

" _Definitely."_

Jack wrapped his arms around the small girl and gave her a hug, which Rosie returned. He _really_ wasn't looking forward to this, but he didn't have much choice.

"Okay, that door should hold it for a bit," the Doctor was saying.

"The door? The wall didn't stop it!" Jack said incredulously, standing up.

"It's got to find us first," said the Doctor nonchalantly.

Jack sighed. _Here goes._

"Doc...we can't really get out of here. We don't exactly have assets. I mean, I've got a banana and in a pinch, you could put up some shelves. The windows are barred and even if we could remove them, there's a sheer drop 7 stories high."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah. So what are you suggesting?"

Taking another deep breath and giving Rosie's hand a gentle squeeze, he said, "There's something I can do, something that could get us to safety for the time-being. But I have to leave her with you and return to my ship so I can do it."

The Doctor snorted derisively.

"Oh. Fantastic. Great plan. Leave the girl with me so you could go back to your little ship? Why? 'Cos you're tired of babysittin' her?"

Jack marched right up to him, standing just inches from his face.

"Listen up, Doc. You may be an all-powerful Time Lord. But you don't know a single damn thing about me. If you think for even one second that I'm abandoning her, you couldn't be more wrong," he growled, and stepped back.

The Doctor blinked in surprise.

"Okay, then. Let's say I believe you. There's still one thing I don't quite understand. What is she to you?" he asked.

Jack, who had picked up Rosie in his arms again, walked over to the Doctor, and held her out to him.

"I won't be long, but...keep her safe. Don't let anything happen to her. She's the most precious in existence."

Shock spread across the Doctor's face as he let the Captain put her in his arms. Jack fiddled with his vortex manipulator and in the next second, he was gone.

* * *

The Doctor stared at the spot where Jack had been just a moment ago. His mind was still reeling a little from the ex-cons words.

" _She is the most precious in existence."_

Back on Platform One, the Face of Boe had said the same exact thing. But that would mean...No, it couldn't be...that was absurd. A coincidence, perhaps? Though centuries of being all over the place had taught him that nothing was coincidence, that was really taking the cake, even for him. Sighing, he turned his attention to the small girl in his arms, finally taking time to actually look at her. Her eyes locked onto his, and he felt the faintest of shivers go down his spine. Her eyes, which looked both green and brown, were strange to him. And was it his imagination, or was that a spark of gold he saw in them? Never mind that, though. A strange warmth started to well up inside him the longer he held the girl in his arms. It wasn't all that unpleasant, either. In fact, it was really quite-

" **Doctor, Rosie, can you hear me?"**

The Doctor set the girl (Rosie?) on a wheelchair and ran over to the radio, which was making static noises.

" **Back on my ship. I used the emergency teleport. It's security-keyed to my molecular structure, so that's why I couldn't take you. I'm working on it, hang in there."**

"How are you speaking to us?" asked the Doctor suspiciously.

" **Om-Com. I can call anything with a speaker grill."**

"Now there's a coincidence. The child can do that too. Anything with a speaker grill. Even the phone on the outside of my TARDIS," he said.

" _ **And I can hear you. Coming to find you. Coming to fiiiind you."**_

The Doctor backed away when he heard that child's voice coming through.

" **Doctor, can you hear that?"**

"Loud and clear," confirmed the Doctor.

" **I'll try to block out the signal. Least I can do."**

" _ **Coming to find you, Mummy."**_

" **Rosie, this is for you. Remember this?"**

A song the Doctor recognized as "Moonlight Serenade" issued from the radio speaker. He felt a tug on his wrist and looked down to find the girl at his side. He knelt down so they were face to face.

"So you're called Rosie," he said.

 _ **That is what he calls me.**_

He almost fell backwards out of shock. He never heard her speak before, but he was never expecting _that._ Although, it did make sense, come to think of it.

"How are you doing that? And why?" he asked.

 _ **By touching you. This is the only way I can talk**_

Ah, so she was a touch telepath. But that didn't seem right.

"Please, tell me. Just tell me who you are. Why are you here? Where are you really from?"

 _ **I can't. Not now. Not for awhile.**_

Argh. This was getting irritating.

"And why ever not?"

She looked at him serenely for a moment. And then she slid off the chair and wrapped her arms around his neck so that their cheeks were touching. Again, he felt warmth.

 _ **Because it's not time for you to know yet...Doctor.**_

The Doctor widened his eyes as Rosie let go of him. This girl knew who he was. And that was one of the things he hated, when someone he had no knowledge of had knowledge of him. And yet, there was just the faintest stir in the furthest reaches of his mind that said he was supposed to know who this strange girl was. She tilted her head, as if she could sense it.

"I see you're making friends with Rosie there. Most people notice when they've been teleported," said an amused voice.

The Doctor looked around. Sure enough, they weren't in the hospital anymore. They were now in what appeared to be a warship of some kind. Chula, if he was not mistaken. Which meant...He saw Jack lazily spinning the pilot's seat around to face them. As soon as she saw him, Rosie ran over and he scooped her up into the seat with him. The Doctor felt another twinge of annoyance.

"Sorry 'bout the delay," said Jack, not noticing the glare he was being given. "Had to take the Nav-Com offline to over-ride the teleport security."

"You can spend 10 minutes over-riding your own protocols. Maybe you should remember whose ship it is," said the Doctor tersely.

Jack smirked. "I do. But that story is definitely not for her ears," he said, sharing a mischievous grin with Rosie. "Wouldn't want to be a bad influence and everything."

The Doctor rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. Instead, he snapped his fingers and right away, a ball of golden particles surrounded his right hand.

"Take us to the crash site. I need to see your space junk," he said, watching the gold ball disperse, leaving his hand healed where he had burned it on the console earlier.

"As soon as I get the Nav-Com back online. Make yourself comfortable," said Jack, pointing out to Rosie what to press.

"Alright then. Since we're waiting, why don't you answer something for me? What did you mean back there, when you said she was the most precious in existence?" asked the Doctor, looking at them both.

Jack didn't speak for a few minutes, letting the chair swivel back and forth as he contemplated.

"I woke up one day, and I found out 2 years of my life were gone. I was pretty sure the Agency was behind it. That's why I started with the cons. I didn't know if I was gonna get them back, but I had to try. And here's the weird part. I started having dreams that someone was calling out to me, asking me to find them. At first, I thought it was just the alcohol. I was already here for some time before you arrived. But then, when I saw her clinging to that balloon tonight...well, I knew it was her. I just knew it. Don't ask me to elaborate, 'cause I can't. All I know is that I have to protect her," he said.

The Doctor was silent. He didn't like the sound of this, not at all. It sounded like there was someone toying with Jack. Just like he felt like he was being toyed with. He was about to voice his suspicions to Jack when he saw them. Rosie was now curled up into a ball on the young Captain's lap, who, in turn, was allowing her to fall asleep. He really couldn't deny the bond the pair had so clearly formed. And try as he might, he couldn't stop feeling so vexed at the closeness they had.

There was a beeping sound coming from over the pilot seat, shaking the Doctor out of his thoughts.

"Okay, we're good to go," said the Captain. "The crash site?"

* * *

The Doctor cursed in Gallifreyan as what seemed like hundreds of gas-masked zombies came shuffling toward them. Jack just had to fiddle with the Chula ambulance, which just had to go blaring out an alarm. That, of course, was what had them surrounded. His anger at the young Captain was already at its boiling point. He'd suspected that Jack had known something about this. But the little shouting match between them minutes ago all but cemented the fact that he was involved.

" _There were nanogenes in there. But they're nothing like the ones in your ship. This lot have never seen a human being before. Don't know what a human being's supposed to look like. All they've got to go on is one little body, and there's not a lot left. But they carry right on. They do what they're programmed to do, they patch it up. Can't tell what's gas mask and skull, but they do their best. And then off they fly, off they go, there's work to be done. Because now, they think they know what a human's suppose to look like. And it's time to fix all the rest. And they won't stop. They won't ever stop. The entire human race is gonna be torn down and rebuilt into the form of a terrified child looking for its mother and nothing is gonna stop it!" he spat out._

" _I KNOW THAT!" Jack bellowed, making Nancy back away a few steps. "I know that. But I have to let this happen. I have to see this through. All the way to the end. History has to play out like it's meant to. Because this...this is all wrong. It's so wrong. It has to be fixed."_

" _What? By letting the whole world be infected?" asked the Doctor, about ready to blow up._

" _No. By letting them figure it out," Jack said simply, turning to the girl in his arms. "Isn't that right, Rosie?"_

The Doctor really wanted to just let the bomb come and hit right then and there. At least, he could regenerate. He glared at Rosie, certain that she was involved as well. When the girl met his eyes though, he only saw pleading in them. She reached out to him. Jack, as if anticipating this, passed her over to the Doctor's arms.

"Protect her, Doc. I know you don't trust either of us, but please...keep her safe. I have to go see this through. And you...you have a job to do. This is the night when everyone is supposed to live, after all," he said quietly.

And he looked so serious and so determined that even the Doctor was a little surprised. Before he got the chance to say anything, Jack pointed his sonic tool upward and disappeared. And right away, in the midst of all the zombies, his head clouded once more.

" _Are you my mummy?"_

" _I am your mummy. I will always be your mummy. I'm so sorry."_

 _Nancy reached out and held the gas-masked child in her arms, gold particles already beginning to surround them._

The Doctor blinked. Rosie pointed toward the large wooden double doors just as they swung open to reveal the child and all those converted. The child was at the front. And the Doctor knew now exactly what his role in all this was. He turned to Nancy, who was quietly sobbing.

"Tell him. Nancy, the future of the human race is in your hands. You're his mummy, aren't you? Trust me, and tell him," he told her.

Quieting her sobs, Nancy stepped forward to the child, who was also stepping toward her.

"Are you my mummy?"

"Yes, I am your mummy," she said softly.

"Mummy?"

"I'm here."

But it seemed as if the child had almost no self-awareness left, and the Doctor told her so.

"I am your mummy. I will always be your mummy. I'm so sorry," said Nancy in a stronger voice, opening her arms.

And as she embraced her child, the air glowed with the nanogenes, hovering around the mother and child.

"Come one, please. Come on, you clever little nanogenes. Figure it out. It's gotta be enough information. Figure it out," he murmured.

When Nancy broke away from Jamie, he quickly set Rosie down and ran over to them.

"Come on. Give me a day like this. Give me this one," he said, hope hammering at his chest.

And he lifted the gas mask off the little boy's head. With a joyful yell, he lifted him into a hug and then set him down by Nancy, who held him again. He grinned at Rosie and noticed her gaze at the sky. At the same time she pointed up, he heard the small explosion. His grin slid off almost at once. The bomb! And he'd forgotten about it. Already brainstorming how to somehow move hundreds and hundreds of zombies away from a rather large explosive in under a minute, he didn't notice the bomb had stopped in mid-air, nor the Chula ship above it, suspending it with a tractor beam. That is, until he heard Jack shouting.

"Doctor! The bomb's already commenced detonation. I've put it in stasis, but it won't last long. I'm gonna go and get rid of this thing as safely as I can," he called, atop the bomb.

Oh. That was what he meant. He was going to...Jack shouted again.

"Rosie! I have to go now. Be a good girl, okay?"

The Doctor hardly noticed the ship flying away, the full realization of what exactly Jack was doing, what he had probably known he had to do from the beginning, finally hit him. If he did not feel guilty for doubting the young Captain yet, the tears that were now forming in Rosie's eyes was reason enough. And he didn't like it that Rosie was crying. He'd make it better. Giving her a reassuring smile, he raised his hands. The nanogenes began gathering at once.

"You want moves, Rose? I'll give you moves!" he said without thinking, and sent the nanogenes forward toward the rest of the gas-masked zombies.

The gold particles danced around them, and within moments, everyone was back to normal.

"Everybody lives, Rose. Just this once! Everybody lives!" he shouted happily, grinning wider than ever.

And after he had made a small speech about beating the Germans, saving the world, and the welfare state, and had sent everyone on their way, he set the ambulance on self destruct. No way he was going to risk this whole ordeal repeating itself. His face faltered a little when he noticed Rosie's wistful smile. And he understood what had to be done next. It was only right. He knelt down to her level.

"Well, Rosie. So many people were saved tonight. How about we save one more, yeah?" he said.

The way she launched herself into his arms was answer enough. And he found that it was actually a rather pleasant feeling. He liked it.

"Let's go then," he said, holding her hand and straightening up.

And they both headed back to the TARDIS to save the Captain. After all, he was right. This was the night when everybody lived.

* * *

 **There it ends for this chapter. And yes, I do believe that the Doctor is starting to remember, but not quite. It'll be a gradual thing. The next chapter will be an interlude chapter, but the one after that will probably be the beginning of the Gamestation storyline. Which I'm already starting to brainstorm for. If anyone has suggestions for that one, feel free to let me know. Until next time!**


	7. Interlude- Message 1

**Hey, everyone, I'm back! Hope your holidays were all amazing. This chapter here is an interlude, so it's shorter than usual. But don't worry, next chapter will be longer.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.**

 **Chapter 6: Interlude- Message 1**

* * *

In the 900 or so years that the Doctor has been alive, he had seen many things. He had met many civilizations. Seen many species, though not all of them friendly. In fact, some of them were downright hostile and dangerous. The Nestene Consciousness, Zygons, Sontarans, Cybermen, and those blasted Daleks came to mind. And he would be lying if he said he didn't fear for his chances of survival when he was facing off against them one time or another. (Well, okay, he was 93.71% sure he would live through them, but that's neither here nor there.)

So why was it that he simultaneously felt chills, warmth, and a near-overwhelming curiosity for one Captain Jack and his (their?) mysterious Rosie? He recalled that night when everybody lived, how he did not hesitate to save the young Captain from the missile that he intercepted. He also allowed the Captain room aboard the TARDIS, something that surprised him. He did have a sort of grudging respect for the man; not many would intercept a bomb, knowing that it would explode any moment.

But it wasn't Captain Jack Harkness that puzzled him. It was the strange and mysterious Rosie. Rosie, who always seemed to be there when he needed a solution. Rosie, who had no voice, but could say many things. Rosie, who made him feel warm and content at times. Rosie, who was starting to feel oddly familiar to him. And then, there was that thing he said that night.

* * *

" _You want moves, Rose? I'll give you moves!" he said without thinking, and sent the nanogenes forward toward the rest of the gas-masked zombies._

" _Everybody lives, Rose. Just this once! Everybody lives!" he shouted happily, grinning wider than ever._

* * *

What had made him say that? It was like his mouth had spoken of its own accord, like he was supposed to say it. And it felt right, calling her Rose. It scared him to no end. Who was this girl? Why did she have such a hold on him without even trying? When did he let her? More importantly, why?

Speaking of which...the Doctor slid out from under the console where he had been working on non-existent repairs and looked around the TARDIS. It was unusually quiet. Where was the girl in question? No doubt with the young Captain, but where _were_ they? It wasn't until he had stood up and straightened himself that he noticed the gold light coming from somewhere above. The Doctor narrowed his eyes; the light seemed to be coming from the room that the TARDIS had set up for Rosie.

He went upstairs slowly, almost wary of what he might discover. The light grew brighter still as he walked toward the door to Rosie's room, which was left slightly ajar. He nudged it open...and couldn't believe his eyes. Jack and Rosie were both asleep on the bed, the young girl tucked away in his arms. The source of the golden glow, however, was coming from the figure standing at the foot of the bed, as if it was watching over the two.

The Doctor could only stare with wide eyes, voice temporarily gone, as the figure turned to him and he saw that it was a young woman with blonde hair. She was wearing a white jumper and pale jeans, he noticed. She smiled at him.

" _ **It's almost here. Just a little longer,"**_ she said with a voice that echoed.

"What's almost here?" asked the Doctor, finally finding his voice.

She walked up to him and stared at his face as she raised a glowing hand to touch his cheek.

" _ **The day when everything comes to dust. The parting of ways, and the beginning of the return. It's almost here,"**_ she said with a hint of warning in her voice.

"Parting of ways? The beginning of the return? Return of what?" asked the Doctor.

The young woman leaned into him and he felt the ghost of her lips touch his ear.

" _ **The return of what's meant to be...my Doctor..."**_

The gold light grew painfully bright before suddenly disappearing again. The Doctor blinked in confusion, before his eyes landed on the pair sleeping on Rosie's bed. What in the name of Gallifrey had brought him up here, he wondered. Shrugging mentally, he walked over to the bed and pulled the covers up around the girl before he left. Vaguely, he wondered if Rosie and Jack would enjoy a trip to feudal-era Japan as he went back to the console room.

* * *

 **Yup, you guys know what the next chapter's gonna be!**


End file.
